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Eccentricity of the Sextant by Frederic Furbish, 1893

Eccentricity of the Sextant by Frederic Furbish, 1893, Page 21

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14 He was courageous, and after repeated failures, after the treachery of King John of Portugal, was finally successful and obtained the funds necessary for the expedition. This man was Christopher Columbus, a man far in advance of the age in which he lived. He was more, much more than a common sailor, he was a man of science. He was an astronomer and knew well the stars. He believed that by their aid he could traverse unknown seas with as perfect safety as th caravan does the land. His map was in the sky, not on paper. His courage was not of that fool-hardy unreasoning kind which so often characterizes the ignorant, it was courage born of science and understanding. Shortly after this time the astrolabe (an old form of sextant) had been invented and with a full understanding of its
 
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